One Night At Shields RevisedRewritten
by TAV1324
Summary: It's been about a decade since I wrote this story. I never finished it but, through the years as I've grown as a writer, it was has always been in the back of my mind so, I have decided to rewrite it.
1. Chapter 1

One night at Shields

Genre: Romance

Rated Pg

Chapter 1

I do not own these characters and certain storylines from the show.

Author's note: It's been about 8 or 9 years since I touched this story. I feel like I owe it to myself and fans of this story to not only finish it but to revise it to give it more depth. I was very young when I wrote for . I believe that now, I have had enough experiences to really write a good story. Contrary to before, the ages of the Serena and the girls are 18 and Darien and Andrew are 20.

'It's such a beautiful day.' Serena thought to herself as she walked down the sunny path leading to the park. School was out for the weekend and nothing seemed more appealing than some quiet alone time to think. As she took a seat on a bench overlooking the football fields, the petite blonde sighed; she couldn't remember the last time she had the opportunity to sit down and just relax. Between scout duties, chores, and school, there was barely ever time to have a self-indulgent thought of her own. Smiling, she stretched her arms out and slumped down.

'I could do this the rest of the day. Of course, I'd have to find something a little better then a park bench...' suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice,

"Serena!"

She looked up to see the sandy blonde she had harbored a crush on for years. Seeing Andrew always gave her an instant energy boost,

"Hey Andrew! What's going on?" Serena said in her perkiest voice, just then, she heard a chorus of grunts. Glancing behind Andrew, she saw Darien being tackled to the ground. She studied him for a moment, he looked _different_. He was wearing a faded blue football jersey with the reminisce of the number 21 on the front, the dull khaki coloring of his pants was just barely peeking out from under all the mud and grass stains. Serena inwardly smiled, though Darien Shield's was an absolute nightmare to her, something about him was absolutely irresistible. True, she usually treated this passing thought as foreign but, something about today dared her to divulge deeper.

Maybe it was his midnight blue eyes, or his chiseled and toned physique. Serena felt an electrified spark briefly stir within her as she dazed in and out of the haze Darien had effortlessly placed upon her. In the very back of her head, she could also hear someone speaking, but, she couldn't quite bring herself back to reality - not yet at least. Serena smiled and nodded while continuing to ponder why women hung off of Darien Shields. She couldn't quite put her finger on it,

'His hair, I've never in my life seen hair that color.' She thought.

Any man would look at Darien Shields and see black hair but, to any woman in Tokyo, there was so much more. When the sun graced Darien with its presence, the most beautiful blue hue danced about the crown of his head. Though it was subtle, it drove women crazy.

"...you should totally come!" The words completely snapped Serena out of her daze as quickly as she had fallen into it. She slowly focused her attention on Andrew's emerald eyes and gave a somewhat glazed over smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" Serena laughed sheepishly, now that she had a moment to refocus herself, she felt that surge of energy come back. It wasn't the same energy you had from drinking too much coffee or getting that extra hour of sleep, it was that certain something in the air that made one feel like anything was possible, to grab life by the moment and dream big. Serena felt oddly independent, she didn't want to spend her Friday night at the temple, she didn't want to go to the arcade and play video games, she wanted to do something _different_, something exciting, enthralling, invigorating! The only question was what; the thought of holding onto this feeling left her feeling quite alive.

'What has come over me in the course of ten minutes?' she thought.

Andrew laughed,

"I was saying that you should come over tonight and hang out with me and a couple of buddies of mine from school." Andrew continued cheerily as he shot Serena one of his dazzling smiles that were kept in short supply to those that he truly cared for. At that moment, Serena could have kissed him; this was exactly what she needed,

'The company wouldn't be too bad either...' she giggled inwardly. Maybe this was the chance she had been waiting for to show Andrew she wasn't some little schoolgirl, she was all grown up.

"Do you really want to spend Friday night babysitting?" Came Darien's voice from behind. Serena leaned over to look behind Andrew and scowled, all good thoughts of Darien were mentally thrown out the window.

"Oh, who asked you?" She screamed as she felt her blood boil. Here she was with a golden opportunity and Darien just had to rain on her parade, how could she ever find this man appealing at all? It didn't matter what he had to say, the minute he opened up that mouth of his, she wanted to slap him. He laughed, put his hand on Serena's shoulder and looked her straight her in the eyes, a gesture most women would die for.

"Aren't you a little young?" He asked

"Young, for what: hanging out with a friend of mine?" She asked matter of factly

"That's real cute Meatball Head," he turned his attention to Andrew,

"Hey Andrew I think she thinks this is some sort of date!" he laughed. The pair of blondes instantly turned a bright shade of red. It took her a minute to collect herself but, as the embarrassment passed, all Serena could feel was anger. As she quickly whipped back around to spit out whatever insult came to mind, Andrew spoke up,

"Come on man; leave her alone, she'll be fine." He shot a smile at Serena,

"You know where I live, right Serena? The apartments above the arcade. Come over whenever you like! I'll be expected people around 8:00 or 9:00 pm but, right now, I have to go." He smiled and began to walk away, Serena stared after him

'Oh if I get called out for some stupid negasleeze attack, I'll just die!' Serena thought as she continued to stare after Andrew, whose figure had become nothing more than a spec. Unbeknownst to her, Darien glanced at over at Serena's blonde head of hair and inhaled deeply. The surrounding air that she had filled with her sweet scent of amber and vanilla caused him to take a step back as his eyes lost a bit of focus and his thoughts wandered, why was she so...intoxicating? Her eyes sparkled like fireworks each time he insulted her and he simply couldn't get enough of it. Darien looked over at where Andrew had been standing but a moment ago. Andrew may have been able to get Serena to flutter her eyelashes at him but, only Darien could light that spark in her eyes that made him want to take her into his arms and...

'What is the matter with you!' he mentally smacked himself. Sure, Serena was attractive but, she was an absolute child, immature and...Unburdened...the girl hadn't a care in the world other than where to have lunch. Darien partly cursed her and partly envied her, for he had been damned with a turbulent life full of uncertainties. But, maybe that was what was so alluring about her - she led the life he always wanted and she made it seem so attainable. Of course, a girl so optimistic and full of life could make anything seem within arm's reach.

Serena suddenly caught herself and swung back towards Darien,

"You're a real asshole sometimes." She said frankly. Darien laughed, while most men would cringe at someone like Serena calling him out like that, he loved it.

"Oh poor meatball head's feelings were hurt..."

"Don't call me that!" she interrupted. He took a step closer to her, they were inches apart.

"Or what?" he challenged with a smile. Serena paused for a moment and then huffed and broke the gaze. Walking away, her ears perked up as they heard,

"So are you coming tonight or what?"

Serena smiled and turned around, "Wouldn't miss it." She sang. Walking towards home, she wondered - what was it she was smiling about? Did she actually enjoy the fact that Darien seemed interested if she would be in attendance to the evening's festivities? She quickly brushed off the thought and began fantasizing about what the upcoming evening would hold.

Serena paced outside the entrance to Andrews building, was she really about to embark on this all by herself? True, she had hastily lied to the girls, telling them that she wasn't feeling very well and would not be joining them for a movie but, maybe she was making a mistake, maybe she should invite them? She sighed then thought about what the scouts would bring to the night, they would be nothing but a constant burden and hindrance on her fun. There was no doubt in Serena's mind that the scouts were the best friends anyone could ever have but, for now, she just needed one night to do what she wanted. She didn't want to think about scout business, home, school, all she wanted was to relish in a completely carefree night. She nodded to herself and looked down at her attire; she was wearing a simple black fitted tunic with charcoal leggings and suede black boots. Unsure of what to expect with college girls involved, Serena wanted to make sure she was as neutral and as adapting as possible. She sighed deeply and took a step inside the building.

Darien sat on Andrew's couch cradling a rum and coke; he hesitantly looked down at it. Sure he liked a drink every once in awhile to unwind but, he felt himself on the threshold of inebriation.

'What if the scouts need me later?' He wondered. Annoyed at himself for letting the Sailor Scouts enter his mind when there was no need, he pushed the thought out of his head and took a long swig of his drink. Standing up to find Andrew, Darien instantly felt the effects of the rum rush to his head. He looked over at a few girls from his Anthropology class. There was Katie, Sarah and Bridgette, all equally good looking girls. The trio regularly sat behind Darien in the lecture hall, gigging about the latest gossip on campus. Katie was the first to notice his stare. Smiling, she immediately perked up and smoothed over her red top as she waved Darien over, he hastily followed.

"Hey there Darien! Finally made it off the couch?" she said excitedly.

"So are you sticking around here all night?" she inquired. Darien thoughtfully pondered the question. The alcohol was definitely making his thoughts lot harder to put together, he felt a bit unhinged yet, at the same time, a bit free.

"Most likely, what about you ladies?" he asked suavely. The girls all blushed and giggled,

"We promised another friend we'd stop by so, I think we will end our night over there." Bridgette said hoarsely,

"Yeah! You should totally come!" Sarah interrupted with a hiccup. Katie and Bridgette instantly turned red and giggled, apparently, Darien wasn't the only one feeling the effects of his drink. He thought for a second and looked at his watch, it was about 10:30 and Serena was supposed to come, wasn't she? Maybe he had simply pushed her too far this time, he could have hit himself! If Serena was going to be a no show then what was he going to do, Andrew was preoccupied with videogames with a few other friends and by the looks of it, the majority of people were getting ready to either hit the bar scene or move on to a party on campus.

Truthfully, a part of Darien acknowledged the fact that on some level, he savored the little time he spent with Serena. Though she undoubtedly treated their daily run-ins as a fleeting moment soon to be forgotten amongst her busy life full of friends and family, Darien saw them as the closest thing he had to a genuine and consistent relationship. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that other than Andrew, Serena was the only person in his life that didn't treat him like some unattainable "catch", only to be admired from a far or with flattery and nonsense - she told him exactly what she thought of him from day one and though, it was not the most positive of opinions, it was honest and raw and something no one had ever given him. Mentally, Darien smacked himself - the drinking must have definitely gotten to him.

"You know what, I think I..." He was interrupted by the door swinging open, it was Serena, she was alone, and she looked absolutely gorgeous.


	2. Chapter 2

One night at Shields

By: Strawberry

Genre: Romance

Rated Pg

Chapter 2

I do not own these characters and certain storylines from the show.

Dairen quickly caught himself,

"I actually promised Andrew I'd stick around here and hang out, maybe next time? I'll see you girls in class Monday?" he said hurriedly as he rushed away, leaving the trio of girls to ponder what had caught Darien's eye and taken him away so quickly.

"I was sure he was going to come!" Bridgette exclaimed as they walked out the door. Darien propped himself against a wall to further observe her, she hadn't been in the apartment more than a moment and already she was laughing and giggling with a drink in her hand. Though Serena was beautiful in anything, Darien noticed she wasn't wearing her normally loud colors; she was in a black top and grey tights. The way the high heels of her boots elongated her legs made his stomach drop. Her bright pink lips were replaced with a more neutral coloring to offset her dark smoky eyes. Dairen couldn't quite put his finger on it but, the way she looked seemed to rouse something in the deepest corners of his mind that for some reason, tugged heavily on his heart.

Usually when he caught himself staring at Serena, he would quickly look away before anyone could figure out what had caught his attention but tonight, his mind was hazy and his better judgment was dimming. Dairen lifted his cup to his lips only to realize his drink was out; he stood there for a moment before heading over to the bar. He was eyeballing how much rum he should add to his coke when he felt her warm presence.

"Hey Darien." Serena said happily, she stood next to him, not quite sure what to mix with what and how much, she never had really drank before with the exception of an occasional glass of wine during the spring festival. She decided on a heavy amount of alcohol, the minute she took a sip she wanted to spit it out, it was nothing like the fruity pink drink Andrew had made for her earlier. Darien looked over at the mess she had made and laughed.

"Too strong?" he asked, she nodded as she reached over for a napkin and wiped her shirt off,

"I didn't know you were such a big drinker" he joked as he instinctively began wiping her wet top off with a napkin. Before he could realize what he as doing, he looked up alarmed and was met anger which seemed to quickly melt away into something he couldn't quite figure out.

'Maybe I ought to grow a thicker skin, he's just kidding,' Serena thought. Sure, maybe she wasn't always the most patient person with Darien, but tonight, she was going to have fun. She smiled at her own sense of authority and batted her eyelashes,.

"Well so why not make me one!" she exclaimed with excitement, maybe a little too much excitement. Though she had only one drink, Serena felt her mind in a heavenly haze. Darien laughed to himself and shook his head while mixing some liquids together, he handed it to her and she took a sip. Through Dairen's intentions to mask the sting of alcohol were pure, Serena could feel the drink sear down her throat. It still did the trick though, with each sip she took, she felt all her hang ups and tension melt away. She muttered a thank you as Darien wandered over to a group of boys. Serena nervously looked around the room as she took another sip. This burning sensation was something she could get used to. Suddenly, her communicator went off, she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door.

"What's up?" She asked as she flipped open the delicate pink device; she was instantly greeted by Lita's face. The brunette had recently joined the scouts but, she was quickly becoming of Serena's closest confidants.

"Hey Serena! How are you feeling? I decided against the movie, what are you up to?" She asked cheerfully. Serena bit her lip and wondered if she should tell Lita to come over, she quickly realized that Lita could see her expression, Serena sighed deeply.

"Actually, I'm doing ok", She said cautiously.

"Well why you didn't say so!" the brunette chirped. Serena instantly felt relief followed by immense guilt. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Look Lita, someone needs the bathroom. I have to go!" She said hurriedly. Serena closed the communicator quickly and looked at the reflection in the mirror; she took a long hard gulp of her drink and opened to the door.

Darien was leaning on the door when all of a sudden, it abruptly swung open. It took him a minute to regain his composure but, ones their eyes met, it was again lost. She bit her lip and embarrassingly looked up; his eyes seemed to burn into her very core. Serena felt her breathing become somewhat unsteady; she again bit her lip and looked away nervously. Sure, she was always aware how attractive Darien was but, something about tonight was different. Serena took another gulp as she challenged herself to hastily walk away, leaving Darien to stare after her. He watched her head for the bar and looked down at his half full glass. Maybe it was the alcohol but he felt as if Serena had ignited something in him on this particular night. Some kind of instinctive and primal urge to which he was desperately enthralled with. He wasn't sure what any of this meant, what did she want from him? He thought for a moment as he looked hungrily towards her before abruptly turning away and continuing to the bathroom.

Though she would never admit it, Serena was well aware of the intent gaze Darien had set upon her. She smiled inwardly, what she was happy about? This was al so sudden. Maybe, her new found curiosity was thanks to the new friend in her right hand. She glanced towards the bathroom, smiled and walked away.

Serena sat on the couch alone, she had no particular thought. She simply enjoyed sitting there and being. She had decided to get ahold of herself and stop lusting after Darien; she simply was not what he was looking for. Anyway, the way she was looking at him would only lead to trouble. Even though, she had all but, convinced herself that it was the fact that she was quite drunk, a small part of her questioned if maybe the truth was, this desire had been burning dimly within her from the first day she met him. They had barely spoken all night yet, she could feel his every move. She sighed and shook her head, this was not something she should be doing or thinking, she had so many responsibilities, so much to focus on, this new found infatuation was not one of them.

"Having fun?" Andrew asked, Serena shook her head and stood up

"Great fun." She muttered, as she stood up, she lost her balance a bit; Andrew quickly grabbed her arm to provide some support.

"I'm glad, are you feeling all right?" He asked, she tried to refocus her attention and nodded. She looked around the room, there was only maybe a handful of people left, Darien included. She suddenly felt a bit dizzy.

"Maybe I should sit down." She slurred, Andrew helped her sit down and took a seat next to her.

"Do you want some water or something?" She nodded no,

"I think me and some of the guys are going to make something to eat in the arcade downstairs. Want to join?" She nodded 'no'.

"Oh no, that's all right, I guess I should be going, my parents are going to kill me when they see me like this." She said.

"I wouldn't want to get in trouble with your parents, you can crash here." He insisted. She thought for a moment and shrugged, why not? Surely her parents would believe that she just happen to fall asleep while watching a movie at the temple.

"All right, are you sure?" she questioned cautiously. Andrew nodded.

"I'm going to be downstairs for awhile but, if you need anything, give me a shout." He said as he got up, giving her a half hug. Serena watched as Andrew walked over to a small group of men which seemed to linger for a moment but, then assembled their coats and left, Darien included.

As the door closed behind him, Darien noticed that Serena had lagged behind, was she not going to come? He took a breath, he felt...invigorated. Sure, spending your nights fighting bad guys were a rush but, it was so controlled. It was as if he was a pawn in some kind of game, he didn't choose this fate, he didn't have a say in any aspect of his life. He considered going back to Andrews, going to his own apartment which was only a floor above or simply following Andrew. Darien had been trailing Serena all night, as if he was a predator.

'Maybe I'm finally losing my grip on reality or maybe, I'm just too drunk.' He thought, but he didn't care,

"Hey Andrew, I forgot my jacket, I'll be down in a little while" he said, Andrew and the rest of the group nodded and walked away. Darien sighed deeply and reached for the doorknob,

'Just what do you think is going to happen?' he asked himself, he frowned at the inward questions and paused for a moment, he didn't know. He didn't know what he wanted, just who. She was absolutely intoxicating and exhilarating. He just needed to be by her, just for a moment, then he would go home.

Serena paced back and forth in Andrew living room; she had no idea what to do with herself, she felt something stirring within her, some sort of anticipation, but for what? Everyone had left what could she be anticipating? She waltzed over to the bar and made herself a light drink which she placed on the coffee table as she sat down. Suddenly she heard the door; she turned around to see Darien.


End file.
